Taipei, Taiwan - According to Taiwan's official Central News Agency (CNA), Typhoon Haikui has caused two injuries and resulted in nearly 10,000 households losing power in Taiwan. On Sunday, as the storm hit, a tree fell on a van carrying the injured individuals, trapping them inside. They sustained injuries but remained conscious and were subsequently transported to a hospital.
The typhoon made landfall in the southeastern coastal township of Donghe at approximately 3:40 p.m. local time, as reported by the meteorological bureau.
As of 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, over 9,300 households in Taitung and Hualien counties had experienced power outages, as confirmed by Taipower, the state's electricity provider. Restoration efforts are currently in progress.
Additionally, Taipei, the capital city, is currently witnessing heavy rainfall.
The meteorological bureau reported that Typhoon Haikui is currently moving westward at a speed of 7 kilometers (4 miles) per hour, accompanied by winds reaching up to 155 kilometers per hour (96 miles per hour).
Haikui marks the first typhoon in four years to directly impact Taiwan, and it is anticipated to bring substantial rainfall to the eastern regions, as cautioned by the weather bureau. There is a warning of potential flash floods and landslides in various parts of the country. Particularly, the mountainous Hualien county could receive more than 500 millimeters of precipitation.
Initially, the typhoon was expected to make landfall near the southeastern city of Taitung around 5 p.m. local time on Sunday.
As of 7 a.m. local time on Sunday, the Ministry of the Interior reported that over 2,800 residents from seven counties and municipalities had been evacuated.
In southern and eastern Taiwan, seven counties and cities have declared the suspension of school and work for Sunday, as confirmed by their respective local governments. Furthermore, both Yunlin county and the remote Penghu county will also halt school and work activities starting at noon on Sunday.
Typhoon Haikui's impact has resulted in the cancellation of 222 domestic flights and 37 international flights departing from Taiwan, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taiwan. Meanwhile, in nearby Hong Kong, another typhoon named Saola caused at least 86 reported injuries after making landfall in the city following its passage through the northeastern Philippines.
In an update provided on Saturday, Hong Kong authorities disclosed that they had received over 1,500 reports of fallen trees, 21 instances of flooding, and two reports of landslides. Although Saola has now weakened to a tropical storm, it has left a trail of hundreds of canceled and disrupted flights in its aftermath.